Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 5

Another week is in the books, though not how we expected, with one game postponed until later in the year and Patriots/Chiefs postponed until Monday night.

We saw some good wide receiver performances this week, some of which came from unexpected places. We saw two long touchdowns from random Chargers receivers, for example! Who expected that! (Those two players aren't in this article because they each saw just one target, though.)

Not all options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster. Check here for a complete list of our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 2 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 30% rostered or below.

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Tre'Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints

27% rostered

While the impending return of Michael Thomas will cut into his value, Smith is still an ascending player on this Saints team. He had four catches for 54 yards and two  scores this week and now has 13 receptions over the last three weeks. Yes, he takes a major hit if Thomas is back next week, but with a Week 6 bye, the Saints could play it safe and let Smith be their main receiver again next week. If so, he's a great start in a flex spot in 12-team leagues.

Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills

25% rostered

Y'all. Beasley keeps being underused in fantasy. He had his first touchdown of the year this week and while his target share took a bit of a dive, he still had another solid fantasy day. Beasley's a must-roster player in 12-team full PPR leagues, so it's weird that he's available in 75 percent of leagues. I get why you wouldn't have him in standard because he does rely on short catches too much sometimes, but he's been a startable fantasy option all year!!!

Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

24% rostered

D.J. Chark Jr. is the clear No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville, but the No. 2 role remains completely up for grabs. Keelan Cole staked an early claim to it, but seems to be fading back into No. 3 guy territory, opening room for the rookie Shenault. This week, he caught five passes for 86 yards and also added a five-yard carry. It seems that Shenault's trending towards being that second weapon for quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

Scotty Miller, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

16% rostered

Miller's role continues to grow on this team. This week saw him find the end zone for the first time, as he finished with five catches for 83 yards and a score. He's had 73 or more yards in three of Tampa's four games this year and is pretty solidly rosterable in most formats at this point. He's also playable against the Bears on a short week with Tampa dealing with a lot of injuries to their skill position players.

Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts

4% rostered

Seems like the whole Colts team is beat up, with Michael Pittman Jr. and Parris Campbell both out right now. And with neither guy playing this week, Pascal was targeted eight times, bringing in three of them for 58 yards. Starting wide receivers on Philip Rivers-led offenses should be rostered in more than four percent of leagues. Pascal's a high-floor flex play in deep leagues until the Colts get some receivers back.

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos

1% rostered

At this point, we all know the story in Denver: Courtland Sutton is done for the year and someone has to step up aside from Jerry Jeudy in this wide receiving corps.

Maybe that someone is Tim Patrick?

Patrick was targeted seven times this week, catching six of them for 13 yards and a touchdown. He's now scored touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, and while he's not going to win you a fantasy league, he's a solid deep league play at this point. I'd be especially interested in him in Week 6 against Miami, if you're looking a little ahead.

Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears

1% rostered

RIP, Anthony Miller hype and hello, Darnell Mooney hype. As Miller's role continues to shrink, Mooney's grows. His nine targets this week were second on the team to Allen Robinson, and he brought in five of them for 52 yards. While not the most exciting player in the world, Mooney is a streamable deep league option for the Bears and could wind up as more than that down the stretch, so getting him early is a smart move.

Isaiah Ford, Miami Dolphins

1% rostered

In Week 2, Ford was targeted nine times, but then last week that number shrunk to two, so it seemed like we were wrong on him. But against Seattle, he ended up with 10 targets, and while he only brought four of them in for 48 yards, that target share is interesting.

Granted, DeVante Parker exited the game for awhile before returning, which helped Ford but in a pass-happy offense like Miami, there's room for a player like Ford to be a viable deep league option depending on the matchup.

David Moore, Seattle Seahawks

1% rostered

I mean, if you need a deep league play, you can do worse than Moore, who has a pair of touchdowns this year. Seattle's explosive offense is going to lead to a few strong games for Moore, though his role in the offense will also lead to some duds. But hey, if you need to take a big swing in a 16-team league, Moore's an option!

Nelson Agholor, Las Vegas Raiders

1% rostered

Yeah yeah yeah, I know you don't want to play Nelson Agholor, who has a reputation for drops. But the Raiders are dealing with injuries and Agholor had four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. If they're still short on players against Kansas City and you desperately need a streamer...he's a decent option.

Jeff Smith, New York Jets

0% rostered

Well, that was unexpected.

Smith was activated off the IR before Thursday's game and ended up getting targeted nine times, catching seven of them for 81 yards. If everyone in New York was healthy, you probably wouldn't want Smith on your roster, but at this point, he's worth a look in deep leagues solely on the hopes that things continue on the injury-riddled path they've been on and Smith maintains a solid role.

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